‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Did Gi-Hun’s Team Survive?

Misplaced hope can lead people to ruin by clouding their sense of judgment, and the fifth episode of the ongoing season of Squid Game is a grim reminder of that. With Gi-hun’s personal mission to expose and end the titular game running as the central plotline in the background, the narrative focus remains on the present iteration of the game and the participants, as viewers become aware of their struggles, which allows them to sympathize with the contestants. No-eul’s personal sense of morality in a place filled with amoral, conscienceless enforcers spells doom for her, and she makes enemies while trying to hold on to her ideals. The fifth episode acts as build-up for an emotional crisis that will presumably pay off in the upcoming episodes, and the series provides a much-needed breather before everything goes to hell. 

Spoilers Ahead

The Second Round Ends

Picking up from right where the last episode ended, the fifth episode highlights how the team of rejects led by Hyun-ju manages to ace every single mini game with ease (except for the top spinning one), showing the rest of the teams how to get things done with perfect teamwork and cooperation, getting lauded by all the participants. Gi-hun’s team managed to survive the second round, even if In-ho was starting to cause a bit of a worry for his teammates with his poor top-spinning skills, although whether it was intentional or not doesn’t get revealed at the end. 

Interestingly enough, after the completion of the second round and the reveal of the reward blood money which has been accumulated so far, another vote is conducted to decide whether the remaining games need to be conducted or not, as a way of emphasizing the so-called democratic perspective acting as the foundation of the games. To really hammer the point home that the contestants have complete volition over their decision, the voting phase has been added, but really it is In-ho’s way of making Gi-hun question his own judgment, as the voting results once again favor continuation. While the contestants could have chosen to quit and made peace with whatever the amount they would have received after surviving the second round, their newfound confidence lulls them into completely overlooking the fact that the game is rigged to eliminate contestants with each round. Even the ones who voted against the continuation after the first round, like Yong-sik and Jung-bae, choose to continue this time around, as their misguided hope for survival implores them to take a chance for ‘one more game.’ In-ho apparently takes pleasure in seeing Gi-hun’s spirit broken by the realization that he can no longer help those who aren’t willing to help themselves, as he takes charge to convince people to opt for quitting the game. This strengthens the bond between him and Gi-hun, and I can’t help but think that beneath the veneer of an upstanding guy, he is just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and break Gi-hun. 

No-eul Gets Into Trouble

Given how she dared to directly oppose the command of the managing officer in her drive to stop the practice of organ harvesting of the deceased contestants, No-eul was already courting danger, and in the fifth episode she gets a rough awakening. A couple of enforcers who are displeased with her attempt to stop the organ harvesting attack No-eul in her room, and even though she momentarily manages to get an upper hand over them, eventually she gets cornered. They apparently know that she has defected from North Korea and do not care that she has a strong connection with the managing officer. Threatening No-eul with her life and making indecent gestures towards her, the enforcer duo leave. From now on, she has to choose her steps wisely if she is willing to reunite with her long-lost son, but given the fact that she has seen the faces of her attackers, it seems a much more satisfying revenge can be expected. The managing officer himself might have orchestrated the attack to warn No-eul about the consequences of insubordination. 

Will Gi-hun’s Team Survive?

A sense of disappointment and dejection engulfs the ones who really wanted to use the chance to quit the game, especially because the betrayal comes from the ones they trusted the most. The fact that the decision of the participants gets revealed through the badges they wear after voting creates a sense of distrust among people—establishing fresh ground for more mishaps during the games. Geum-ja is let down by her son Yong-sik’s change of decision, as he prioritized money over family in the end. She probably expected the more mature Hyun-ju to make a wiser decision than to opt for continuation. Hyun-ju reveals how her identity as a transgender woman has cost her her connection with her family, and even though she feels liberated in the body she identifies herself with, the financial burden is just too much to quit the game at this stage when there is a chance to earn more. Hyun-ju plans to fund her necessary transition expenses and settle in Thailand, where she hopes to find acceptance for who she is—and she believes just one more game will set her up with enough money to take care of everything she needs. Little does she know that this is a trap that continues to entangle players, and in time they lose their autonomy before they even realize it. 

On the other hand, Jung-bae apologizes to his friend and teammate Gi-hun for voting for continuation, and as the duo catch up, for a brief moment Gi-hun seems to be back to his older self, breaking his all grim and serious demeanor. At night, Gi-hun prepares for a possible assault by the other participants, as his past experience surviving a nighttime massacre has made him realize how crucial it is to plan for contingencies. However, fortunately enough, the night goes by without any disturbance. A pregnant Jun-hee breaks down in fear of an uncertain future in the presence of Geum-ja, who tries her best to comfort her. 

The third game begins quite abruptly, waking the participants early in the morning as they are taken to a large room with a rotating central platform. The new game, called Mingle, requires participants to stay on the rotating platform, form groups according to the announced number, and move into a safe area within a time limit to avoid disqualification. While the rule seems simple enough, there might be hidden elements to it that could turn ‘one more game’ into the last game within moments, as the upcoming episode will surely showcase. On the other hand, Jun-ho and Woo-seok are planning to scour the seas to find the island, and this particular subplot has been moving at a snail’s pace since the first episode. The overall narrative tone of the fifth episode hints at a possibly tragic aftermath to Mingle, making viewers look forward to the penultimate episode of the season.